Voltage sampling and electron beam holding arrangement



Aug. 2l, 1951 s. KUCHINSKY 2,564,908

VOLTAGE SAMPLING AND ELECTRON BEAM HOLDING ARRANGEMENT l Filed March 8, 1949 2 sheets-sheet 1 INVENTOR. /fae H//vsfv Y kmw, NN MN Qw\,\ n m N ilumhl Aug. 21, 1951 s. KU'cHlNsKY VOLTAGE SAMPLING AND ELECTRON BEAM HOLDING ARRANGEMENT Filed March 8, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 www '. 677" OPN Y' Patented Aug. 21, 1951 UNITED STATES TENT oFFiCE VOLTAGE SAMPLING AND ELECTRON BEAM HOLDING ARRANGEMENT Application March 8, 1949, Serial No. 80,694

(Cl. Z50-27) 4 Claims.

l This invention relates to voltage sampling circuits and more particularly to arrangements for sampling a varying voltage at relatively high frequency rates.

A principal object of the invention relates to a voltage sampling arrangement employing a deilectable electron beam.

Another object relates to a voltage measuring system employing a deectable electron beam, and a sampling circuit for measuring a varying voltage at any desired instant of its Variation.

A further object relates to the combination of a cathode-ray tube and associated electron tube circuits for simultaneously measuring and producing a steady indication of any selected instantaneous value of a varying voltage.

A feature of the invention resides in the combination of a cathode-ray tube of the deiiectable beam type having a plurality of spaced target electrodes each corresponding to a particular level of voltage to be indicated or measured; said electrodes acting as beam holding electrodes in conjunction with associated grid-controlled electron tubes.

Another feature relates to a voltage sampling arrangement of the deiiectable electron beam type, having improved and simplified beam holding arrangements for holding the beam at a deected position corresponding to the voltage being instantaneously sampled and independent of subsequent changes in that voltage.

A further feature relates to a voltage sampling system employing a defiectable electron beam, whereby a continuously varying input signal can be sampled instantaneously at discrete levels and at a predetermined rate and duration; and wherein the holding and sampling circuit can be isolated from the input circuit which supplies the voltage to be sampled.

Another feature relates to a voltage sampling system of the deflectable electron beam type, and

wherein the signal being sampled does not have to be removed, or presampled, and wherein the holding of the beam at the sampling level isveffective for unlimited durations notwithstanding a substantial level change in the level of the voltage being sampled.

A still further feature relates to the novel organization, arrangement and relative interconnection of parts, which cooperate to provide an improved and highly stable voltage sampling circuit for sampling extremely short durations of a continuously varying Voltage.

Other features and advantages not particularly enumerated will be apparentafter a consideration of the following detailed descriptions and the appended claims.

Fig. 1 is a schematic tube and wiring diagram of one embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 1A is an explanatory diagram relating to Fig. 1.

Fig. 2 is a schematic tube and wiring diagram of another and preferred embodiment of the invention.

Referring to Fig. 1, the block I represents diagrammatically, any well-known source of continuously varying electric voltage whose level at any desired instant of time is to be measured or sampled, yand with the measurement indication to persist regardless of the shortness of the sampling instant. As one illustration for producing this measuring indication, there is shown in Fig. 1 a cathode-ray beam tube 2 of any well-known construction having the usual evacuated glass envelope with the neck portion 3, and the enlarged funnel-shaped portion 4 which is closed by the usual end wall or viewing portion 5. The interior surface of the wall 5 may be provided with a coating of any well-known material which produces a visual indication in response to. animpinging electron beam. If desired however, a series of anodes lia-6e are mounted adjacent the wall 5 and each connected to a respective signal indicating device or arrangement such for eX- ample as small neon tubes (iA- 6B etc. or. the like.

suitably mounted within neck 3 is an electron gun 'I for developing a beam of electrons which can be focussed to a spot of the desired size adjacent the electrodes lia-6e: This gun may comprise the usual electron-emitting cathode 8, the spot or beam intensity control electrode 9, rst beam focussing and accelerating anode III and the second or higher voltage beam accelerating and focussing anode I I. Mounted between the electron gun and the electrodes lia-6e is a pair of electrostatic deilector plates I2, I3, Whose rela'- tive D. C. potentials determine the position ofthe electron beam I4 with respect to the elec trodes Blz-6e. The plate I2 is positively biassed with respect to ground by a suitable battery I5 or other source of steady D. C. so as normally, that is in the absence of input signals, to bias the beam so that it impinges on the iirst electrode I6 of a series of beam holding electrodes lli-20.' The plate I3 is, in accordance with one feature of the invention, arranged to have its D. C. potential with respect to ground, controlled by the varying input signal to be sampled and also by the relative position of the electronbeam I4.

raise the potential of plate I 3. and also tending to cause the beam to leave electrode I8 and move towards electrode I9, but this is offset by 'the inverse laction as regards the bias on grid 29 which causes the plate current of tube 24 to increase as stated above. This increase is brought about by reason of the fact that as the beam starts to leave electrode I8, it reduces its overlap with that electrode. Thus, electrode I8 starts to draw less current from the beam. By drawing less current, the negative bias at grid 29 is likewise reduced and the plate current of tube 24 correspondingly increases and correspondingly lowers the potential of plate I3. This causes the beam to move back to the electrode I8 until the beam current picked up by that eleotrode biasses the grid 29 suiciently to maintain the potential of plate I3 at such a stable value that the beam remains held at its stable intercept with electrode I9 where the beam was located at the instant sampling took place. In other words, if subsequent to the actual ins-tant of sampling, the input signal is increasing, it has no eiect on the proper holding position of the beam which corresponds to the input voltage at the instant of sampling. It will be seen therefore, that tube =24 has the ability to hold the beam in its sampling position against a steep rise of input signal from source I. That is, tube 24 can saturate the common plate load resistor 2| by reason of the tendency of the beam to move downwardly off a holding electrode, justas fast as the steep rise of the input signal can unsaturate the said resistor under control of tube 23.

In the second condition, where the input sign'al is decreasing at the time of sampling, the grid 35 drives tube 23 towards plate current saturation thus tending to produce a voltage decrease 4at plate I3. If at the instant of sampling, the beam happens to be between adjacent electrodes, for example I8, I9, then there will be no bias across resistor 3B and the tube 24 draws suicient plate current to lower the potential `of plate I3 as above described, and the beam moves back towards electrode I8. The beam continues across resistor I8 whereupon the current picked up at that electrode from the beam rises from zero to maximum and overbiasses grid 29. By this feedback action, the voltage of pla-te I3 assumes a stable value at which the ybeam is held on the electrode I8 which is the electrode it intercepted at the instant when the sampling took place. However, since the input signal bias on grid 35 is under these conditions decreasing, the tube 23 may cause the potential cf plate I3 to decrease further and may tend to move the beam in the same reversed direction, until a stable potential at plate I3 is arrived at. For -this latter reason therefore, the frequency at which the sampling takes place at switch 3I should preferably be high with respect to the signal input frequency; or the duration of the sampling interval, that is the width of the pulse 32, should be small compared with the rate of decrease of the signal being sampled.

In the third condition where the input signal is continuously varying, that is, increasing and decreasing, the sampling is effected by having the sweep input signal from source I removed from grid 35 in fixed timed relation to the operation of switch 3l so that 4the input signal is ineffective to change the potential of plate I3 at the instant that the holding feedback circuit controlled over conductor 31 and grid 29 becomes effec-tive. For this purpose a switch 36a may be connected in circuit with grid 35 and source I and this switch may be ganged to the operating element or control device of switch 3 I. In order to produce a direct indication of the magnitude of the sampled voltage, a vacuum tube voltmeter 38 or the like can be connected directly across the plates I2 and I3. Likewise, if desired, each of the anodes Ba-Bb etc. may be connected in circuit with an individual indicator device such for example as small neon tubes 38a, 38h, etc. to produce a visual indication" of the held position of the beam I 4.

Fig. 2 shows a preferred modification of the invention. In general, the tube 39 can be constructed the same as the tube 2 of Fig. 1 and the elements of both tubes which are the same are designated alike. In tube 39 however, each anode 6a, 6b, 6c, etc. is provided with a pair` of holding electrodes I6a-I6b, I1a-I1b, etc. The holding electrodes of each pair are spaced from each other a distance d approximately equal the width of the associated anode. All the corresponding holding electrodes I6a/-I1a- Ia, etc. are connected in parallel and to a common conductor 40. Likewise, all the corresponding holding electrodes I6b-I1b-I8b, etc. are connected in parallel and to the common conductor 4I.

The source I of the signal waves whose level or voltage is to be sampled at any desired instant or instants of time, is coupled to the primary winding of a suitable transformer 42 whose secondary 43 is connected for push-pull action to the grids 44, 45, of a pair of plural grid electron tubes 46, 41. These tubes are preferably oflike characteristics and while they are shown as having separate enclosing evacuated envelopes, they may be mounted within the same evacuated envelope. Preferably, they are of the triple grid or pentode type such for example as Radio Manufacturers Association type NU1133D, or W. E. 6AS6. Each tube has an electron-emitting cathode 48, 49; a first control grid 50, 5I shield grids 52, 53; second control grids 44, 45; and output anodes or plates i 54, 55. The bias on grid 44 with respect to its cathode 48 and likewise the bias of grid 45 with respect to its cathode 49, are controlled by a suitable adjustable D. C. biassing source 56. The first control grids 50 and 5I are biassed by means of the respective resistors 51 and 58 through which the currents from the respective holding electrodes I6a, I1a, etc. and I6b, I1b, etc. iow when the beam impinges thereon. The shield grids 52, 53, can be connected to some suitable positive D. C. terminal on the D. C. power supply in the wellknown manner. The plates or output anodes 54 and 55 are supplied with the usual steady positive direct current voltage in push-pull relation through equal resistors 59, 60, from the positive D. C. power supply terminal B I. Likewise, plates 54 and 55 are connected by conductors 62, 63, to the respective deflector plates I2, I3. The tubes 46, 41, are designed in conjunction with the remaining elements of the system so that when the grids 50 and 5I are energized by the holding currents from the beam I4 and Iiowing conductors 40 and 4I, they take control of the plate currents ofthe respective tubes 46, 41, in the sense that their control over the plate current is very much greater than the control of the plate current of their respective tubes by the input signal potentials applied to respective grids 44, 45.

- In the system of Fig. 2, instead of maintaining the beam continuously on, it is arranged to be pulsed on at the required sampling instants by means of a suitable switch 164 which controls .a beam blanking potential applied to the control grid 9 of the electron gun. 1n other words, the beam I4 is not developed in the tube 39 except when suitable potential pulses are applied to grid 9 when'sampling of the input voltage from source Il is to take place. Thus, when sampling is not taking place, the potential of'plate I2 with respect to plate I3, is controlled entirely by the input signal from source I, When sampling is to take place, the beam is pulsedpn and' is deflected across the holding electrodes to an extent determined by the `magnitudeof the input signal at the instant of sampling. At ythe same instant, the holding circuits become eiective to maintain the beam on the appropriate holding electrode and the corresponding anode. Y In other words, the beam is held in its deflected position corresponding to the instantaneous lmagnitudeof the input signal from source I and independently of whether the said signal is increasing or decreasing before or after the instant of sampling.

When no sampling is taking place, the beam I4 is blanked 01T and therefore none of the holding electrodes receives current and consequently neither of the grids B, 5I, receives' any bias. Thus, the varying input signal applied to grids 44, 45, correspondingly varies the relative potentials across the deflector plates I2 and I3.

When sampling is to take place, the switch 64 operates to switch the beam I on. This beam by impinging on a particular holding electrode for example electrode Ila, as determined by the level ofthe input signal from source I at the instant of sampling, biasses the corresponding gridl. If the beam happens to be on the holding electrode I'Ib at the instant of sampling, it likewise biasses the grid 5U. The eiect of this is to change'the relative potentials across plates I2, I3, t0 deflect the beam in the direction of the arrow adjacent the corresponding holding electrode. Thus, if at the instant of samplingythe input signal is such as to deflect the beam `to anode 6b and so that it is intercepted by electrode I'Ia, this holding electrode Ila collects sufficient current from the beam so as to bias the grid 5I to cause the tube 41 to drop in plate current, which is equivalent to making plate I3 more positive withrespect to plate I2. This causes the beam yto move from the hold-` ing electrode Vla` towards holding electrode IIb. As the beam reduces 'its intercept with electrode I'Ia and increases its intercept with electrodej-I b, the bias on grid 5I- drops and the bias on grid 50 increases, thus causing plate l2 to become more positive with respect to plate I3 and causing the beam to reverse its'deection. Eventually therefore, the beam returns t0 holding electrode I'Ia and by reason of its intercept therewith, it pro,- duces a sufficient, current to bias the grid 5I and thereby maintain the potential across plates I2 and I3 at a stable value.' By this arrangement, the beam is held at the appropriate anode, for example anode 6b, since the region represented by the shaded area between electrodes I'Ia and I'Ib is a stable holding region for the beam. In other Words, at the instant of sampling, the beam is effectively held in the region between Athe appropriate pair of holding electrodes and cannot migrate beyond the region represented by the shaded area between these electrodes.

The result of the foregoing arrangement is 'that if during the samplinginterval the'input signal varies in either direction, these variations are effectively cancelled'out since the beam is subjected to negligible .deflecting movement inthe stable region between the appropriate pair of holding electrodes, which maintains a stable feedback potential across the plates I2 and I3 as a result of the grids 5t and 5I taking control of the plate currents of their respective tubes.

With this arrangement therefore, the sampling is substantially independent of the frequency of the input signal or its rate of variation, and a higher frequency of sampling is possible with a greater amount of stability and less critical operation of the system. Furthermore, the sampling interval can be maintained for an unlimited duration against a maximum input signal change subsequent to the instant of sampling.

If desired, the anode 6a, tb, etc. can be coated with suitable phosphor material which luoresces when impinged upon by the electron beam and if desired each of the anodes can be connected in circuit with an individualindicator such as a neon tube 65a, 65h, etc. so as to give a visual indication of the position of the beam at the time it is being held by the holding circuits described. If desired, a suitable measuring instrument such as a vacuum tube voltmeter 56 can be connected across conductor i132 and 53 to give a'direct indication of the actual voltage across the plates I2, I3, at the instant of sampling;

While o ne particular embodiment has been described herein, various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention,

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for sampling a varying level voltage during predetermined spaced time intervals, comprising, a cathode-ray tube having means to develop a deflectable electron beam only at said intervals, a pair of beam deflector plates, a plurality of pairs of beam holding electrodes there being one such pair for each defiected position of the beam, an kelectron tube having an electron-emitting cathode, an anode and a pair of .control grids, means connecting the anode of said electron tube to one of said deflector'plates, means connecting the rst control grid of said electron tube to like holding electrodes in said pairs, means to apply the varying level voltage to the second control grid of said electron tube said holding electrodes when intercepted by said beam controlling the plate current of said electron tube and the potential at said deilector plate substantially independent of the varying level voltage applied to said second control grid whenthe electron beam is developed.

2.v Apparatus for sampling a varying level voltage during predetermined spaced time intervals, comprising, a cathode-ray tube having an electron gun to develop a deflectable electron beam only at said intervals, a pair of beam deflector plates, a plurality of pairs of beam holding electrodes there being one such pair for each deflected position of said beam, a pair of plural control grid electron tubes said tubes having their anodes connected in push-pull relation" across said deector plates, means connecting all the like holding electrodes of said pairs in parallel to the rst control grid of one electron tube, means connecting the remaining like holding electrodes of said pairs to the rst control grid of the other electron tube, means to apply the varying level voltages in push-pull relation to the second control grids of said electron tubes, and means to pulse the electron beam on during said time intervals only.

3. Apparatus for sampling aV varying level signal at predetermined timeintervals, comprising,

a cathode-ray tube having an electron gun for developing a deectable electron beam, means to pulse said gun on at said intervals only, a pair of beam deector plates, a plurality of pairs of beam holding electrodes there being one such pair for each deected beam position, means including a grid-controlled electron tube to apply to said deflector plates a voltage corresponding to said varying signal, means also including said electron tube to derive from the beam current as intercepted by said holding electrodes another voltage for application to said deiiector plates, and means responsive to the pulsing on of said gun to render said grid-controlled electron tube eiective to control the voltage at said deflector plates substantially entirely by said holding currents.

4. Apparatus according to claim 3, in which said electron tube has first and second control grids the rst control grid being biased by the beam holding current intercepted by said holding electrodes and the second control grid being ex- 10 cited by the varying level signals to be sampled, the rst control grid when biased by said holding current taking control of the plate current of said tube substantially independently of the second control grid.

' SAUL KUCHINSKY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,153,638 Norman Apr. 11, 1939 2,171,216 Koch Aug. 29, 1939 2,224,677 Hanscom Dec. 10, 1940 2,278,641 Bond Apr. 7, 1942 2,395,299 Skellett Feb. 19, 1946 2,407,505 Michael Sept. 10, 1946 2,418,521 Morton et al Apr. 8, 1947 2,477,008 Rosen July 26, 1949 2,482,544 Jacobsen Sept. 20, 1949 

